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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Education in New York (With Aid)

15 Ranked Colleges
607 Degrees Awarded
$24,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.

Across New York, there were 607 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,242 and $25,584 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for General Education in New York (With Aid)

1
Niagara crest
Niagara University
Niagara University, New York

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Niagara University landed the #1 spot on the list. Niagara is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Niagara University, New York. It awarded 136 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Niagara, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in New York” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Niagara is $19,635 for new york education students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Niagara University

2
SUNY Empire crest
SUNY Empire State College
Saratoga Springs, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend SUNY Empire State College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid list. SUNY Empire is a public institution located in Saratoga Springs, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 111 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SUNY Empire also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in New York” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Empire is $11,995 for new york education students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SUNY Empire State College General Education Report

3
Binghamton University crest
Binghamton University
Vestal, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Binghamton University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid. Binghamton University is located in Vestal, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

Binghamton University also made our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $20,703 for new york education students with aid per year to attend Binghamton University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Binghamton University

4
University at Buffalo crest
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University at Buffalo landed the #4 spot on the list. University at Buffalo is a large school located in Buffalo, New York that handed out 19 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

University at Buffalo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list. The estimated yearly cost for University at Buffalo is $19,262 for new york education students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on General Education at University at Buffalo

5
Mercy crest
Mercy College
Dobbs Ferry, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mercy College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Dobbs Ferry, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.

Mercy also took the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in New York” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mercy is $15,093 for New York Education students with aid.

Full Mercy College General Education Report

6
STAC crest
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Sparkill, New York

St. Thomas Aquinas College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid list. St. Thomas Aquinas College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sparkill, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at STAC, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in New York” ranking. It costs about $20,826 for New York Education students with aid per year to attend St. Thomas Aquinas College.

Full STAC General Education Report

7
Canisius crest
Canisius College
Buffalo, New York

Canisius College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid ranking. Canisius is a small school located in Buffalo, New York that handed out 3 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

Canisius also made our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Canisius College is $18,602 for New York Education students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Canisius College

8
Manhattanville crest
Manhattanville College
Purchase, New York

Manhattanville College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Purchase, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.

Manhattanville also made our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $20,634 for New York Education students with aid per year to attend Manhattanville College.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Manhattanville General Education Report

9
LeMoyne crest
Le Moyne College
Syracuse, New York

Le Moyne College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid list. Syracuse, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

LeMoyne not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list. It costs about $22,948 for New York Education students with aid per year to attend Le Moyne College.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at LeMoyne

10
University of Rochester crest
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York

University of Rochester did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Rochester not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list. It costs about $31,340 for New York Education students with aid per year to attend University of Rochester.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at University of Rochester

11
Adelphi crest
Adelphi University
Garden City, New York

With a ranking of #11, Adelphi University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Garden City, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 69 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.

Adelphi did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list. The yearly cost to attend Adelphi is $30,140 for new york education students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Adelphi General Education Report

12
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York

With a ranking of #12, Hofstra University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid list. Hempstead, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hofstra, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in New York” ranking. It costs about $33,682 for new york education students with aid per year to attend Hofstra University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Hofstra

13
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

New York University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid ranking. New York University is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

NYU also made our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend NYU is $38,569 for New York Education students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at New York University

14
Keuka College crest
Keuka College
Keuka Park, New York

Keuka College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Keuka Park, New York, and it awarded 10 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new york education students with aid list, Keuka College has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in New York” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Keuka College is $25,797 for new york education students with aid.

Full Keuka College General Education Report

15
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

Syracuse University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Education Schools in New York For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Syracuse, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Syracuse not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Education Schools in New York” list. The estimated yearly cost for Syracuse University is $34,683 for new york education students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Education at Syracuse

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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